Problems such as trouble falling or staying asleep, getting less than six hours of sleep, frequent snoring, sleep apnea or rotating shift work appear to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, the researchers said. They found that women who reported trouble falling or staying asleep all or most of the time had 45 percent greater odds of developing type 2 diabetes. Women who had four sleep problems had more than four times the odds of developing type 2 diabetes, the researchers said. It is plausible that disrupted sleep could increase the risk of type 2 diabetes because sleep problems play havoc with the body's hormones. Not sleeping well affects the circadian rhythm regulated by hormones that are so important for metabolism and involved in control of blood sugar. Thus, it is not surprising that sleep disorders are associated with obesity and diabetes. People who are depressed, stressed by work or who are obese will likely develop more diabetes. Losing this pattern disturbs a normal physiological process in which certain hormones normally raise blood sugar levels before we are ready to work. These hormones include glucagon, epinephrine, growth hormone and cortisol, which all work in tandem with insulin and play an important role in regulation of sugar, and this normal hormonal 'rhythm-icity' is lost in our society, and certainly may be a cause of diabetes and obesity.

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